Extrinsic spin hall effect due to transition-metal impurities

Abstract

We investigate the extrinsic spin Hall effect in the electron gas model due to transitionmetal impurities based on the single-impurity Anderson model with orbital degrees of freedom. Both the skew scattering and side jump mechanisms are analyzed in a unified way, and the significant role of orbital degrees of freedom are clarified. The obtained spin Hall conductivities are in proportion to the spin-orbit polarization at the Fermi level 〈l · s〉μ as is the case with the intrinsic spin Hall effect: skew scattering term σssSH α 〈l · s〉μδ1σxx, and side jump term σsjSH α 〈l · s〉μ, where δ1 is the phase shift for p (l = 1) partial wave. Furthermore, the present study indicates the existence of a nontrivial close relationship between the intrinsic term σ intSH and the extrinsic side jump term σsjSH. Copyright © Progress of Theoretical Physics 2012.